Scorrybreac
Isle of Skye, Highlands & Islands
With just eight tables in a small front room (plus an upstairs cocktail bar with a world-class whisky collection), this little restaurant above Portree harbour couldn’t be anything other than snug. After working abroad, Calum Munro felt inspired to return to Skye to take advantage of its fantastic local and regional produce. The result is Scorrybreac – 'speckled rock' in Gaelic. Big on foraging, Munro takes out one day each week to travel the Highlands in search of pickings such as hedgehog mushrooms, elderflowers and sea arrowgrass. The result is confident, creative cooking with a strong understanding of different food combinations. Douglas fir oil, for example, is used to bring out the vegetal notes of samphire in a dish of halibut, while layers of flavour are created when date and sherry purée and star anise are added to slow-braised beef short rib, which is then topped with chanterelles and wild watercress. Dinner kicks off with stout-infused soda bread, while snacks include a luxuriant bowl of fermented barley with those aforementioned hedgehog mushrooms hiding tender lamb sweetbreads. A fillet of flaking white cod on a velouté of Jerusalem artichoke and crumbled chicken skin is another happy marriage of flavours and, as a finale, celeriac is used to create a delicate, extra-creamy ice cream which is then finished with miso and caramel. Young staff dance in and out of the kitchen, around the tables (and each other) in a choreographed performance, reciting each dish on Munro’s innovative and inventive tasting menu. Wines come predominantly from small producers, with several natural selections starting at £41 a bottle; otherwise, plump for the suggested pairings for each course.
Dining Information:
Private dining room, Separate bar
7 Bosville Terrace, Portree, Isle of Skye, Highlands & Islands IV51 9DG
01478 612069
